[PancakeBrah]

Word.

A key thing to remember with spreads is that Vegas/your bookie/bovada isn't saying Team X is a touchdown better than Team Y. The spreads are engineered to create an equal amount of betting on each side, which helps create profit via the vig for the house. That's why lines shift; a heavy amount of betting is coming in on one side and the house is adjusting. Smarts usually wait to bet until the last moment, in most cases (unless they feel the general public is going to be betting the wrong side running up to the game then they'll counterbalance).

Also, a general rule of thumb has always been that the home team automatically gets a -3 line. So if an away team is favored the house is implying that the general perception favors the away team even more than the line would suggest if taken at face value.